Cuba's communist party newspaper is signaling a crackdown on black-market satellite dishes used by citizens to get news from the United States.

The newspaper Granma said satellite television programming from the United States carries out the objectives of those who want to destroy the spirit of Cuba's 1959 communist revolution.

As the official voice of the Havana government, such articles in the past have signaled imminent government action. The French news agency, AFP, quotes witnesses as saying a government hunt for some of the clandestine dishes has already begun.

Last week, Cuban President Fidel Castro, 79, provisionally surrendered power to his brother, Raul, after undergoing what has been described as stomach surgery. The Cuban population has since been eager for information.